"They might 'a killed you." For the
first time in the interview she looked fairly into Cameron's eyes. "My,
you do look awful!" she said, with difficulty commanding her voice.
"Nonsense, Mandy! You see, it wasn't my leg that hurt me. It was the
fever that pulled me down."
"Oh, I'll never forget that night!" cried Mandy, struggling to keep her
lips from quivering.
"Nor will I ever forget what you did for me that night, Mandy. Sam told
me all about it. I shall always be your friend."
For a moment longer she held him with her eyes. Then her face grew
suddenly pale and, with voice and hands trembling, she said:
"I must go. Good-by."
He took her great red hand in his long thin fingers.
"Good-by, Mandy, and thank you."
"My!" she said, looking down at the fingers she held in her hand. "Your
hands is awful thin. Are you sure goin' to git better?"
"Of course I am, and I am coming out to see you before I go."
She sat down quickly, still holding his hand, as if he had struck her a
heavy blow.
"Before you go? Where?" Her voice was hardly above a whisper; her face
was white, her lips beyond her control.
"Out West to seek my fortune." His voice was jaunty and he feigned not
to see her distress. "I shall be walking in a couple of weeks or so, eh,
nurse?"
"A couple of weeks?" replied the nurse, who had just entered.
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